Southwest Seasoning

This Southwest Seasoning blend is the PERFECT blend of flavors. With chili powder, smokey paprika, cumin, garlic and onion flavors it combines the best Southwest flavors in a quick to make homemade seasoning mix. Use it on meat, vegetables, or potatoes for instant Southwest flavor!

this Recipe

 

Homemade seasoning mix are one of my secrets for adding a TON of flavor to food, with just a tiny bit of time and effort.

This Southwest Seasoning blend is one of the seasonings in my cupboard I reach for over and over again.

The great thing about homemade seasoning is that it takes about 5-10 minutes to make (depending on how organized your spice cabinet is!) and then you can pop it in an airtight container and it will stay good for UP TO A YEAR!

So for 5 minutes of work you can have this delicious seasoning on hand for a year!… or until you run out which very well may be sooner because this stuff is just that good.

You can easily make a single batch of homemade Southwest seasoning, or if you enjoy it as much as me, you can make a double or triple batch in the same amount of time so you can always have it on hand.

How to use Southwest Seasoning

The thing that makes homemade Southwest Seasoning so great, is that it can add so much flavor to a recipe with so little effort! I use it in SO many ways, both for main dishes, and side dishes.

From seasoning meat, to sprinkling on something to add extra there are almost endless ways to use this seasoning.

Main Dish Ideas

Marinate and season meat– add about 1 tbsp Southwest seasoning per pound of meat. You can also combine this with lime juice for a tangier version.

You can do this with chicken, pork, lamb or even beef. Grill it, bake it, or cook it up in a skillet.

These are a few examples of using this Homemade Southwest Seasoning with meat:

• Southwest Burgers
• Southwest Chicken Marinade
• Southwest Grilled Chicken

Side Dish Ideas

• Southwest Salad– Make a flavor-filled salad dressing by combining 1 tablespoon of Southwest seasoning with 1 cup of ranch dressing.
• Potatoes– This seasoning is irresistible on potatoes. You can do roasted potatoes, smashed potatoes, or even just toss french fries with the seasoning for an amazingly delicious upgrade to boring fries!
• Vegetables– Whether you want to roast vegetables, steam them, or sauté them in a pan, a sprinkle of southwest seasoning will add so much flavor to the final dish.

Appetizer Recipes

• Layered Southwest Dip– Mix 1 tablespoon of Southwest seasoning into sour cream, then layer into a dish, refried beans, sour cream, cheddar cheese, and pico de gallo. It is so delicious!
• Greek Yogurt Dip– Mix Greek yogurt with this southwest Seasoning blend for a lighter chip dip that packs in the flavor.
• Southwest Chicken Bites– Season 1 pound of cubed chicken with 1 tablespoon southwest seasoning, and 2 teaspoons olive oil. Cook in a hot skillet until cooked through.

Recipe Notes

This seasoning blend recipe is as simple as promised! Just mix together some key spices and seasonings and you have the perfect Southwest flavors.

In this section I am going to go through a few tips and tricks I use for how to make Southwest Seasoning Mix to get the absolute best and most delicious results.

Make sure to scroll to the bottom for the FULL recipe card.

Ingredients

All spices and seasonings in this blend are dried. If you only have fresh on hand, I would recommend either drying them to be used in this seasoning blend, or grabbing the dried version the next time you are at the store. Fresh spices do not work in this seasoning mix.

• Chili powder
• Paprika- Try to use smoked paprika for the best Southwest flavor!
• Ground cumin
• Garlic powder
• Onion powder
• Dried oregano
• Salt
• Black pepper
• Cayenne pepper – This gives the seasoning mix heat. You can add more or less to get your preferred level of heat.

All of these are commonly found spices and there shouldn’t be anything you have to hunt down. You may even have every single one already in your spice cabinet!

Recipe Tips

1. Key Ingredients! The combination of chili powder, smoked paprika and cumin give the most delicious flavor when combined with the core flavors of garlic, onion, salt and pepper.
   
2. Mix to combine– There is no special magic here. To make this, you just dump it all together and mix it up. To make it even easier, you can use a mason jar or other container and dump, then shake. Then all you get messy is a couple of measuring spoons!
   
3. Grinding is optional– In the blend of spices that make up the Southwest seasoning there are a variety of sizes, from ground to larger leaves like oregano. You can combine them, but as they sit, the seasoning blend can settle so that it is harder to grab an even scoop out with every spice evenly distributed. To solve this you can:
   • Shake or stir before each use – This is what I do
   • Grind- Run it through a grinder, food processor, or blender to get the spices to a smaller consistency so that they combine evenly.
     
4. Store in an airtight container in a cool dry place. When stored like this the Southwest Seasoning should stay fresh for up to a year. Some also recommend putting it in the freezer to further extend the life but I have never found that necessary. I run out long before it would ever go bad.
   
5. Double, triple, or more! This recipe can easily be scaled up to make a big batch of Southwest Seasoning Mix. This will allow you to keep it on hand for longer periods of time, especially when you start throwing it in everything as your “secret ingredient” like I do!

More Seasoning Mix Recipes

If you enjoyed this recipe, I really hope you will take a moment to grab a few more easy recipes for another busy night!

You can check out all of my Easy recipes here, or see a few of our readers favorite seasoning mixes recipes below.

• Ranch Seasoning Mix
• Italian Dressing Mix
• Best EVER Taco Seasoning
• Tex-Mex Fajita Seasoning
• Cajun Seasoning blend